


Inviting Your Crush to Dinner with your Entire Extended Family, A Story by Peter Parker

by merrysophiatrash



Series: A Son, A Father, and a Lot of Confused People [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Michelle bonds with the girls, Michelle now has the entire team wrapped around her finger, So does Peter, There are five (5) curse words
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-06-12 14:45:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15342114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merrysophiatrash/pseuds/merrysophiatrash
Summary: Michelle scores herself an interview with four of the most powerful women in the world after a strange field trip to the Avengers Tower. She lives a lot, learns a lot, and all in all, has a pretty good day.-=+=-Or, the one where Michelle comes to dinner with the Avengers and then questions her idols for her blog.(Set in between chapters 8 and 9 of Welcome Home)





	Inviting Your Crush to Dinner with your Entire Extended Family, A Story by Peter Parker

**Author's Note:**

> This is set in the middle of another fic, but if you don't wanna read it all you need to know is that Peter lives with Tony and Pepper, and MJ got invited for dinner and an interview.

MJ’s day was strange already. She’d confirmed her theory that Peter was Spiderman, hence why he knew all of the Avengers, but there was definitely something more to it.

She’d toured the building of a company she despised, and by the end of it, no longer despised it.

And then she had asked Peter, jokingly, to calm him down, for an interview with Pepper Potts. Not only did he take it seriously, but he took it a step further. He had scored her an interview with, not only Pepper Stark, but also Natasha Romanov, Wanda Maximoff, and Hope freakin Van Dyne.

And then he had set it for tonight. How the hell was she supposed to get interview questions for four people ready by tonight?

And then she remembered. Not only did she get an interview with these famous women, but she was also dining with the Avengers.

After the school bus dropped them at school, the bell ringing seconds later, she sprinted to her locker, grabbed her stuff, and sprinted home.

And she wrote. Furiously.

At half past 4, she texted Peter.

To: Nerd

_Hey Peter, what am I supposed to wear to this thing???_

He responded almost immediately.

From: Nerd

_??? Hold on let me ask Pepper I don’t know what I’m wearing either_

From: Nerd

_She’s wearing a dress, so are Nat and Wanda, but Hope’s wearing a business suit._

From: Nerd

 _She said business casual, if you know what that means._

From: Nerd

_I don’t. I’m going to go ask Tony she’s being vague._

MJ grinned. She thought Peter Parker was pretty cute, not that she would tell anyone that. He was a sweet dork who got embarrassed by his family, but still loved them to pieces and he was a genius who was simultaneously clueless to everything around him. And apparently, he thought she was pretty, which she guessed was a plus.

Fifteen minutes later, when she had her questions as good as they were going to be, she started rummaging through her closet for an appropriate dress. She never wore dresses, but she had a few, for interviews and things.

An hour and a half later, she was ready, her curly hair tamed, her makeup done, heels so high she could hardly walk in them. And she was wearing a dress, with a blazer over it. She needed to be smart and invest in a suit. She had her camera bag in her purse, as well as her foldable tripod. She had managed to figure out how to walk in her heels, appearing somewhat graceful, she guessed.

By the time she got out the door, it was a little past six, and she texted Peter that she was on her way. Peter just sent her a smiley emoji.

Back at the tower, Peter was probably just as confused about the whole thing as she was.

“So you’re telling me it doesn’t matter? But Pepper sa-” Tony looked up from the car and shushed him.

“Any other time, I would say listen to Pepper. But just trust me on this one. Wear something that will make your date say that you clean up nicely. And don’t go too formal.” Peter looked even more confused, as well as pouty.

“Michelle isn’t my date.” He said, still confused as to what he was supposed to do.

“Look kid, it really isn’t gonna matter. We’ve got a little girl in a princess costume. We’ve got two Asgardians who don’t know a thing about fashion on Earth and showed up in their armor. We’ve got a wizard in a business suit and a magical sentient cape. Go nice, but still you.” 

Peter nodded, seemingly understanding. He started running out of the lab. “Thanks, dad! Remember that you have to get ready, too. Pepper will kill you if you show up in a grease-stained t-shirt!”

Peter ended up wearing a navy blazer over a cream-colored science pun t-shirt, Nice jeans, and dress shoes. He spent the rest of the time setting up the food and drinks people had brought and helped the adults cook.

At about six-thirty, MJ texted him saying she was pulling up to the tower.

He practically sprinted to the elevator, got antsy waiting for it to go to the ground floor, and sprinted out of it, opening the main doors to the tower right as a cab pulled up and Michelle stepped out.

And holy shit.

It was no secret that MJ was pretty, no matter how hard she tried to hide it, but when she let it shine through, she was stunning. Her dress was off-white and looked like satin. It was strapless, and went down to her knees, flaring out at her waist. It was covered by a sleek navy blazer. Her dark blue heels rivaled some of Pepper’s in height. 

With a tilt of his head, he realized that they matched.

She wasn’t wearing any jewelry besides a dainty diamond necklace, and she didn’t have much makeup on. Her hair was pulled back in an elaborate bun that Peter had a sudden urge to learn how to do. (What? Yeah, he knew how to do hair. It calmed down whoever’s hair it was, made them look good, and it was pretty therapeutic. Some of the Avengers always hosted a hair club after stressful missions.)

Peter thought she shone.

“Wow, MJ, you look good. Absolutely amazing.” She smiled, clutching her purse closer to her chest.

“You don’t look too bad, yourself, Parker.” Peter chuckled nervously.

“Um, about that.”

He took her by the arm, dragging her through security and overriding FRIDAY when she tried to stop her.

“Peter what are you doing I-” He stopped near the elevator, in a corner where they were unseen.

“Okay, so I need you to promise you won’t tell anyone this, okay?” MJ nodded, looking concerned.

“Tony Stark actually is my dad.” He burst, leaving MJ with wide eyes.

“Not, like biologically, but he has legal custody of me. He has for a while now. I actually live here.”

MJ looked confused. “I thought you lived with your Aunt?” Peter’s face fell. 

“My Aunt died. Last year. Tony Stark was mentoring me, and he already acted like my dad, so he just kinda… became my dad.”

Her face matched Peter’s. “I’m, I’m sorry, Peter.”

He smiled weakly. “It’s fine, I didn’t tell you because I wanted a pity party, I told you to warn you. So you weren’t as confused as you were this morning. They were holding back this morning, trying not to spill, because we’re having a press conference about “Introducing Me to the World” in about a month, right after I turn eighteen. But I think I trust you more than anyone else not to spill to the paparazzi.”

She nodded, and he ran his hands through his hair. “Okay, so, I hope that cleared some things up. You’ll get your interview by the end of the night, probably after dinner, but um. Yeah.” He offered her his arm and stepped into the elevator.

When the elevator opened, all eyes turned to them.

Tony had gotten ready, wearing a dress shirt and nice pants, and Pepper was in a sleek black dress. Natasha wore a red Audrey-Hepburn-style tea length dress, and Wanda’s cocktail dress looked amazing on her. He could feel MJ shrink back towards the elevator, as if it would give her safety. He took advantage of their linked arms and tugged her forward, earning a murderous glance from the girl.

“You’ll be okay, they’re all really chill. And they’re out of their element, too.” He gave her an encouraging smile. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Natasha wear a dress for any reason other than missions, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen Wanda in one.” She smiled back, shakily. He released her arm. Tony spoke up. 

“Finally, the lovebirds arrive. They’re the last two, so if we can get someone to set the table, dinner’s ready!”

MJ was not ready for the chaotic stampede that occurred after that sentence. Suddenly the little kids, as well as the more childish adults, booked it to the table, and Peter patted her arm before making his way to the bar where the plates were set out to help them set up. She followed him, wanting to look respectful.

She tapped Pepper. “Mrs. Stark, is there anything I can do to help?” She said in a small voice that couldn’t possibly have been her own. Pepper’s eyes widened.

“No no no, honey! You’re our guest, we’ve got this!” She smiled warmly, turning to look at Peter. “Peter, babe, put those cups down and help your friend find a seat so she’s not trapped sitting next to Clint or Tony or someone else equally as embarrassing.” A grin formed on Peter’s face. 

“Got it, Pep, thanks for dinner!” he put down the cups he was holding and kissed Pepper on the cheek, nodding to MJ to head to the table. He pointed her to the last two empty spots, next to each other, and told her to save their seats. (Eventually, someone would pull up more for those who hadn’t sat down, but at the moment, it was the final two)

He went up to Steve first, thanking him for dinner and giving him a bear hug. Then he went up to Natasha, thanking her too for dinner and giving her a kiss on the cheek, too. Finally, he sat down with MJ, and the two ended up squished between Scott and Wanda, and directly across Tony and Pepper.

Once everyone sat down, Tony clinked his glass dramatically.

“So, we’re doing this for a few reasons. Firstly, this is the first time we’ve gathered everyone in something other than a battle, so I hope if there’s anyone you’ve never seen outside of armor that you’ve properly introduced yourself. Pym and Stark Industries are announcing their partnership, less competition, more team friendliness, as well as more resources, so there’s also that. Steve and the rest of the ex-rogues are now officially allowed to leave the Tower, officially pardoned and all that, not that they haven’t been leaving the tower before for battles. Peter’s adoption papers went through a few weeks ago, so now not only are Pep and me legally his guardians, we’re also legally his parents, so no more ‘you aren’t actually my dad’ excuses from the baby arachnid.” He said a few more things, but MJ wasn’t really listening. She was looking at Peter, who was blushing scarlet and sinking down in his seat. MJ smacked his arm.

“Oh my god, Peter! Congratulations!” She whisper-shouted, finally understanding why he had been so inexplicably happy a few weeks ago. “You moron, I can’t believe you didn’t let Ned and I celebrate with you! That’s such a big deal!” Peter smiled weekly, sinking even lower in his chair, and MJ started paying attention to Tony again.

“-ny other reason why we’re celebrating tonight?” Pepper stood up.

“Yes, to Peter’s friend Michelle, who tonight is conducting an interview with us ladies, and for once in my entire goddamned life I will be part of an interview not hosted by a sexist, perverted, middle-aged man.” Natasha snorted, and MJ could see why. She wouldn’t assume Pepper to be so blunt with her words. She normally had a way of sugarcoating it.

Natasha raised her glass. “I’ll drink to that. Next time I have to answer an old white dude asking what it’s like to be Captain America’s sidekick, I might spontaneously combust.” She tilted her glass towards the rest of the table, chugging her champagne in a single gulp. Wanda, Pepper, and Hope soon followed, taking sips out of their champagne flutes. Steve looked confused.

“I don’t know why people assume you’re my sidekick instead of the other way around. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I come up with a stupid idea, and you’re like, ‘yeah no let’s do it my way’, and as it turns out, my way would’ve killed us.” Natasha chuckled, and Pepper once again raised her glass.

“To MJ!” Even the kids raised their fancy champagne flutes full of sparkling cider to her, having heard stories about her from Peter.

Pepper cleared her voice. “Now that we’re done with toasts, all the food’s on the table, so dig in! Nonalcoholic drinks for the children, minors, and those who wish to remain sober are on the bar, and adults, the alcohol is on the shelves, out of reach of children. If you are someone with the immune system to handle Asgardian liquor, it’s on the top shelf.” A chorus of ‘thanks, Pepper’ rang around the table, and Michelle couldn't help but notice that Tony wasn't drinking liquor. She wondered why. Halfway through her thoughts, though, and everyone was clamoring for the big bowls that were set out. MJ didn’t even try for one. She knew she wouldn’t win. So when Peter gestured towards her plate with the bowl of pasta he had, she let him be a gentleman, rather than spouting her usual spiel about the patriarchy. It was only because she didn’t feel like fighting, not because she couldn’t. And she most definitely was not going soft for Peter Parker. Stark. Peter Stark.

“Mother Spider, could you pass the beef teriyaki?” Natasha smiled and handed the bowl to him, showing clear signs that she was going soft for Peter. As far as MJ could tell, he had every single person at this table wrapped around his finger. And he didn’t even know it.

Dinner went smoothly until mother fricken Ant-Man leaned over Peter’s shoulder to talk to her. Loud enough so everyone at the table could hear, he said, “So, Michelle, Peter speaks very highly of you, as do, apparently all of the females at the table. What do you wanna do? What do you wanna be?” Peter elbowed him under the table, muttering a ‘Scott!’ But MJ didn’t look uncomfortable. She sort of expected this.

“I want to be a reporter or some sort of public speaker.” She smiled at him, but he looked confused.

“You go to a magnet math and science school for journalism? Wouldn’t an English or Public Service specialty school be more fitting?” Peter was prepared to actually fight him, but MJ held him back.

“I figured that in order to report to the general public, I would have to understand how the public works. I’m taking classes in psychology and sociology.” Peter almost snorted.

“She’s just being modest. She and I are tied for top of the class in physics and in chemistry, and she’s captain of our AcaDec team. She goes to Midtown because she’s smart as hell.” After a scolding from Steve of “Language!” he shrank back in his seat.

The adults looked extremely impressed, those who had already talked to her even more so. The rest of dinner was fairly uneventful. 

Eventually, Cassie spoke up.

“So, if we’re at the tower, does that mean that we get to do the Movie Pile?” Everyone suddenly got excited. People were screaming it was great. Loki looked appalled, as did Strange, but everyone else looked excited.

After clearing the plates, Thor yelled, “Alright! Men first!” Before MJ could make a comment on that, all the men pushed the living room coffee table out of the way and set up blankets, choosing one and lying down in the semi-small space.

“Now the ladies,” Steve said, but Natasha shook her head. “Sorry, kids, but us ladies have an interview to get to, so it’s just going to be you and the boys. Have fun!” Thor nodded.

“Alright then, younglings, attack!” All four children (including baby Nathaniel, who was only just learning how to walk) took a running leap and attacked the boys, laying on them and getting comfortable. Peter didn’t leap at the adults, instead stepping carefully through the maze of bodies, finding his dad and laying with him. Tony had the remote, and as MJ walked out of the room, she could see Peter reaching for it, an ear-splitting grin on his face.

They walked to the elevator, going up a floor. Pepper cleared her throat.

“So, I asked Bruce if we could use his Hulk-Proof room for the interview, seeing as it’s probably the quietest place in the tower, and he said yes, so we’re on Bruce’s floor, now. MJ nodded.

They walked into a room that looked a bit like an empty recording studio, where five chairs had been set up, four next to each other and one adjacent to them. The women all sat down, and MJ started setting up her camera, giving each woman a clip-on microphone.

“You are all okay with this being both an audio and video recording, yes?” They all nodded. “And I can like, post this, right? I’ll edit out anything you want me to, if you accidentally spill something or something.” MJ was almost a hundred percent certain she was sweating her makeup off. But all of them nodded.

“Okay, then I guess we’ll begin! Um, I’m going to jump right into the introductions and questions as soon as it starts recording, and I’ll add a real intro in post. I’m trying not to get too deep, but if you feel like any of my questions are a bit too invasive, just let me know, I’ll skip over it to the next one and edit out the awkward encounter. Since this isn’t rehearsed, if you stutter or say the wrong thing, just take a breath and start over, and I’ll fix it later. Everyone good?” Everyone nodded.

Michelle hit record, her hands shaking. She waited for a second, then smiled. “I’m Michelle Jones, and I’m here with four of the most amazing women on the planet Earth. Here with me today are Hope Van Dyne, esteemed businesswoman, the Wasp, and advocate for many different causes, Pepper Stark, CEO of Stark Industries, who has just been recently married. Congratulations!” Pepper smiled. “Thank You,” MJ continued. Also with me are Natasha Romanov and Wanda Maximoff, two of the Avengers. All of these women are resident badasses, and I’m so lucky to be meeting with you!” They laughed.

“Thanks for having us,” Natasha said, her voice even and steady. All of them were used to these things.

“My first question is to Mrs. Stark. What advice do you have for young girls who one day want to run a company like Stark Industries? How do they get where you are now?” Pepper took a deep breath.

“Am I allowed to swear?” MJ nodded, vigorously. “Take no shit from men like Tony Stark. Do you. If you want to run that company, take the reins and show those men how it’s done.” MJ’s eyes widened.

“What do you mean?” Pepper sighed.

“When I met Tony, he was an alcoholic asshole. He tried to take advantage of me, climbing the corporate ladder. He made me his PA and essentially made me an intern. A highly overpaid intern. Once he became Iron Man, he learned some sympathy, became a much better person. He’s the one I married. Eventually, he handed the company to me, which was pure luck, but even back then he was a pushover. If I would have said ‘Tony Stark I will not be ordered around like an intern, I will be handling your paperwork like I’m supposed to be’, he would have threatened to fire me, but eventually, he would’ve let me get my way, because of how incompetent he is at paperwork. My biggest regret was not standing up sooner. Of course, he’s still an asshole, but he’s kind and compassionate, and he pays his workers fairly and doesn’t try and scam them out of their company-provided health benefits. If you wanna get your way girls, you gotta fight for it.”

“Speaking of, all four of you women benefit off of the system we have in play, you all benefit off of capitalism, but what do you think of it?” Hope looked at Pepper, who gestured for her to speak. She straightened her posture.

“Well, capitalism is a very good economic system, at its roots. The idea that people have the economic freedom to start their own business, to pursue whatever they want financially, to join the stock market and try their luck, is amazing. The catch, however, is that some people think that that means that only those who pay for it deserve health care, that class and economic standing determines people’s value. Which, I think I speak for the four of us when I say that that isn’t okay.” The other three nodded, and Natasha cleared her throat.

“Especially for me, Wanda, and Hope you know. Our jobs would be so much less stressful if we knew that civilians who were injured in a fight will get medical care, no matter their economic standing, or whether they should be able to afford it. The idea that we might injure someone who can’t afford to heal is horrible. That’s one of the things that we put in the New Accords, a clause that said that we, as a team, were responsible for the medical bills of those injured. As much as I wish that we didn’t have to, that the government would pay for people who are hurt, it’s reassuring that all of those whom we caused injury to are getting what they need. If you want to know more about that, though, you’d have to ask Pepper considering most of the money we pay for that with is her and Stark’s.”

Michelle nodded.

“Okay, ladies, the majority of these questions will be fun ones from now on.” The women smiled, sitting up straighter in their chairs.

“Firstly, Ms. Maximoff, can you show us something magical?” Wanda grinned, making red appear at her fingertips and float toward her chair, the red light encasing it and lifting it in the air. She set it back down and smiled.

“Woah. Ms. Romanov, can you show us something kickass?” Natasha smiled conspiratorially. “I would, but I refuse to do anything to you or my teammates, so no.”

“How did all of you do at Tony and Pepper’s wedding?” Pepper snorted. Natasha grinned. “I was the maid of honor, Hope and Wanda were two of four bridesmaids, Peter was Tony’s best man, Rhodey, Steve, Bruce, and Thor were his groomsmen, which went about as well as expected, the two Barton children that can actually walk were the flower girl and ring bearer, it was beautiful.” Wanda laughed.

“If you want to know what can make a former Russian spy cry, the answer is, put her in the bridal procession at her best friend’s wedding. Natasha bawled like a baby. Of course, no pictures of this exist, she burned them all. If you want to know what can make Tony Stark cry, have him marry the girl he’s been in love with for like 12 years.” Pepper smacked her. “What, it’s true! Never in my life would I think that Tony would cry when you walked down the aisle, but there he was, a few masculine tears running down his face.” Hope pointed at the camera.

“Girls, get you a man who is not toxically masculine. If you don’t think your boo would cry when you came down the aisle, he’s not a keeper.”

MJ giggled. “Second to last question. If any of you had a superpower, what would it be? And Ms. Maximoff, if you could have a different superpower, what would it be?”

“I would want to be fluent in every language,” Pepper started. “Like every language. Alien languages, foreign languages, stupid languages the children make up.” MJ nodded, turning to Natasha.

“I dunno I think flying would be cool. It certainly gives Hope advantages in fights, I think it would be useful, but also like just flying as high as I could while still being able to breathe and looking down. I feel like that would be neat.” She turned to Hope.

“Mmm, I’d want like super hearing. Like being on an Op in the building next door and being able to hear what they’re doing would be wicked.” She grinned.

“I don’t think I would change my power. Like I guess super speed like Pietro had would be pretty cool, but I’m good.” 

“Last question,” Michelle started, “and this one’s going to be kind of deep. What advice do you have for anyone, male or female, young or old, of any race, religion, sexual orientation, who are going through hard times, who are struggling?”

Hope went first. “Be strong. Eventually what you’re going through will get better, but somethings take a while. Stay tough through it, but remember that being strong doesn’t mean you have to be strong by yourself.” Wanda nodded. 

“That’s sort of what I was going to say. Pietro and I went through so much that we shouldn’t have had to, if we would’ve stopped and talk to someone, instead of letting our anger fester, we’d have caused ourselves less pain. Now I’ve got people I can talk to, people who care, so just know that even if it doesn’t feel like it, there’s always someone there for you.”

Pepper and Natasha nodded, not adding anything. MJ looked at the camera. 

“Well, that’s it for now, I want to thank these for women for joining me, and I will see all of you next time!” She reached her hand to stop the recording, her persona automatically fading. She looked up to the girls, seeing them staring at her.

“Thank you so much, you have no idea how much this means to me.”

They all smiled. Natasha caught her attention. “Can you stay much longer? You can come join for movie night, if you’re free?” MJ smiled, but declined, stating that it was getting late and she should probably head home.

As she got in the elevator though, her mind wasn’t on her interview. It was on Peter, because of course, it was. He had done something for her that she could never even attempt to repay him for, and he didn’t expect her to. 

There were no cabs near Stark Tower at this time of night, so she decided walking home. It wasn’t too long, though, before she noticed a certain web-slinger tailing her.

“You don’t have to do that, Spiderman.” He jumped down from the building he was perched on, landing gracefully. “What kind of host would I be to let the lady walk home in the dark?” MJ frowned. 

“I can hold my own, you don’t need to protect me.” He snorted.

“I know, you could probably beat a mugger’s ass far quicker than I could. I just wanted to keep you company. Queens is a long way away. Even if you catch the subway, it’s still a good 45 minutes. I could probably swing you there in about fifteen, if you wanna get home faster.” MJ scowled, and he put his hands up. “Just an idea, I didn’t say you had to.”

They walked in silence. When MJ finally got home, Peter grabbed her by the waist. “What do you think you’re- Ah!” He pulled her up to the fire escape, which he knew from previous study sessions led to her room. She smacked him on the arm for his efforts.

They watched New York from the fire escape for a minute before MJ got the courage to speak up.

“Thanks for tonight, loser.” She could feel his smile from under the suit.

“Seriously though, that meant a lot. I can count that as work experience, I can add it to my portfolio, like seriously I can never thank you enough. And I won’t, but I’m just saying.”

“I’m glad I could help, MJ. I know your thing is feminism, but if you ever want anything from the others, it’ll happen in a snap.” He turned towards her, and she got the urge to unmask him so she could see his face. He sounded sincere, but she wanted proof.

She took a step closer and put her hand on his shoulder. “Maybe another day.” One more step and they were standing chest to chest. With a sudden urge she didn’t want to fight, she reached up and pulled his mask up enough to expose his lips, and kissed him.

“Thanks again, Loser.” She climbed into her window, leaving Peter standing on her fire escape.

Monday was seriously going to kill Peter.

**Author's Note:**

> I can't write romance for shit just give me family fluff.


End file.
